I know, I know...

It is completely RIDICULOUS that I have not updated in two months. I apologize to any of you that have stopped by to check in and found me seriously slacking!! The truth is, I have not had anything scrappy to share. I have not even been IN my scrap room since October, and sadly did not even make Christmas cards this year. It is pathetic really. I have intended to update often, but when I sit down to check in everything I think about typing feels like whining....and I don't want this to be a place where people come to listen to me whine!! But I guess I better update so you don't forget that I am here altogether.

Things have been a bit challenging around here lately - I won't go into great detail, but just know that I have been a bit preoccupied. Sadly when I get stressed and overwhelmed I tend to go hide in my corner (and eat!!). But 2009 is here, and this is going to be a MUCH better year! I am determined to make it so.

The big news for 2009 - we are MOVING! In order to survive our economic challenges and save money, and in order to provide the best possible lives for our children and our family, we are combining households with my mother. We are so truly blessed to have her in our lives, and as difficult as the last few months have been, we are really excited to have this opportunity. We expect to start the moving process sometime this month, so I may be scarce for a while longer. My mother purchased a bank owned home that is big enough for all of us and affordable enough that we can share expenses and stay afloat in this crazy economy! The house needs a bit of work, and I will spend the next year (or ten) trying to give it the personality that I can see hiding in the bland and ugly of it (lol) so that will keep me busy! And my husband promises that within the next few months we can convert part of the garage space to a scrap space for me... which means it may be a while yet before I get to do any serious scrapping! But I am looking forward to a designated scrap room soon! I will have to let painting and decorating a house fill my creative needs for a while I guess, and I hope to share the photos (once I have the AFTER photos) as we go...I will get to really test my creativity as I attempt to make this home mine with a $0 budget!

The kids are all doing great, and we all had a lovely Christmas. They have really enjoyed having time off from school the last couple of weeks, and have learned the real art of being lazy it seems!

I hope that the new year is finding all of you happy, healthy and prosperous, and I hope that you will come check in on me periodically as I hope to get back to sharing soon...really!

I do have a layout that I created before going in to hiding that I never shared...this was a layout that I completed for the Scrap Whispers challenge...I will leave you with it...have a lovely weekend!

Quick update...

Has it really been two weeks since I checked in with you all? Wow...time flies. I was gently reminded by my lovely friend Shirley (Hi there Shirley!) that I was lagging. So I will do a quick check in and bring you all up to date. Sadly there has not been a lot of scrappy time around here, but I do have a few projects to share. Mostly I have been spending my time running crazy with these kidlets! We have been working hard at getting my oldest son back on his game with school - we had a rough few weeks but I am so happy to say that finals are over and he lived through his first quarter of 8th grade and actually pulled up his grades to A's and B's!!! Way to go Christian!...and he reported this morning that he plans to keep it on track and shoot for all A's next quarter - I am so glad to have my son back!!
My nine year old has his 4th grade Mission project due this week and we have been working on that - I love doing crafty projects with the kids, and we were encouraged to work on it together, so we are having a great time! But wow is it a time consuming project!
Lauren is getting so excited for Halloween! I can't wait to take pictures of her adorable costume! Grandma made it, and she is going to be a butterfly - it is simply stunning! She is so anxious to be able to wear it! And I am really looking forward to being able to scrap it!

Now on to the scrappy stuff... I did complete some items for the Tour De France Contest over at MonAme Memories. Last week's challenge was to complete a project for Breast Cancer awareness. We were asked to alter a Bra in any way that we chose -- and then of course in order to be coordinated and have a little fun, we were to make matching panties. Of course, like many of you my life has been touched by Breast Cancer, and I wanted to make something really special for this contest. And since we are talking about Breast Cancer awareness before I share my project I want to remind you to get your yearly mammogram - don't wait! I would also like to encourage you to click HERE to go to the Breast Cancer site, and please click to donate a FREE mammogram! It only takes a moment, it is free, and it may save someone's life!

Here is my project:


I decorated the bra and boy shorts in fall colors with silk flowers, rhinestones and ribbon. I added an adorable little owl pin and the tag reads: I'm here to support you. I have no idea what to do with this little ensemble now that it is done! But may someone living with Breast Cancer or a Breast Cancer survivor will see my project and know that I made it to support them...and maybe they will smile.

For this week's project, we were asked to create a mini album using the theme "Thankfulness" as our inspiration. Now I have to tell you, as busy as this week has been, trying to get a mini album done was REALLY a challenge for me. But I was determined to do this! And I am so glad that I did. We have faced some difficult times recently, and it has been really hard for me not to be focused on the negative. Really hard. So taking the time this week to focus on the things that I am thankful for was really a blessing for me. I do have so much to be thankful for, and no matter what challenges life throws at me, I KNOW that I am truly blessed. I do plan to add a few more pages to this mini - since I have much more that I am thankful for, but here is what I got done for the contest:



I used primarily Making Memories papers, chipboard, journaling notebook and stickers for this album along with some miscellaneous ribbon, buttons and lace, felt alphabet by American Crafts and some prima flowers. I wish the photos were a little better - but I always do! I am so pleased with how this album turned out - it makes me smile!

Well, that's it for now - I gotta go get back to work on my (I mean Ethan's) Mission project. Have a WONDERFUL week, and I hope to have something fun to share soon!

Good Morning!!

I hope that today brings you lot's of smiles!!

Life has been going full speed this week, so I have had very little time for scrappy endeavors. I am still playing in the contest at Moname Memories, and am pleased to say that I am holding tight to third place for two weeks in a row - woohoo! What has been fun about this challenge for me is that there is a "speed" component to the race in addition to the scrapbooking, and working quickly in the race earns more points, at least for some of the challenges. So if you know me, you know that I am anything but fast - so I have really had to push myself - the layout that I completed for last week's challenge I got done in just a couple hours - no pondering, no setting it aside and coming back to is later...just get it done! AND I even overcame my fear of writing on the page and wrote (with permanent marker even lol) all over my layout, the flowers, the edges, the journaling... So although it is not the most fabulous thing I ever created, I jumped over some hurdles and enjoyed doing it!


We used a sketch for this one, and that of course made it go much faster. This is my daughter at her 3rd birthday party trying out the beautiful purple makeup she was given for her birthday! Journaling reads: Someone thought it would be a good idea to buy you makeup for your 3rd birthday. You sure had a good time, and Purple is definitely your color!
I used My Mind's Eye patterned papers, Bazzill cardstock, Pink Paislee diecut paper, Making Memories glimmer brad, Sharpie marker, AC thickers, misc. lace trim, AC alpha stickers and a cute little butterfly that I have no idea where came from.

My project this week won't be fast - I am caught in a whirlwind this week and don't know when I may have time to sit down and work, so hopefully I can hold on to my spot!

Aside from this page, my only crafty time this week was getting to go make a tile mosaic with friends from work - My friend Dawn got us together and put together the supplies and somehow convinced her husband Bill to help with framing, grouting etc - it was a VERY fun day with creativity flowing and oozing all over the place - thanks Dawn and Bill!

Well, gotta go wake up the kids to get ready for school, work and another insanely busy day! Hugs to you all

Fall is Here!!

How exciting! Fall weather has finally joined us here in my little corner of the world...cool and cloudy...just enough to make you want to stay snuggled inside with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book... Now don't get me wrong - next week or so I will be whining that I miss my sunshine, but right now I am loving the change!

And it feels like a full season has passed since I last updated my blog...oh well, what else is new? I have finished a few fun things recently, although not nearly as much as I would have liked. Although my mojo has finally returned and I am starting to feel those creative juices flow, my available time has been pretty limited - I take what I can get!

Here is a little fall layout to get you in the mood! This is my daughter last fall decorating pumpkins.

I used Scrapworks and Cosmo Cricket patterned papers, Scenic Route chipboard alpha, Basic Grey alpha stickers and a buncha buttons from my stash.

I am excited to say that I am participating in a fun contest over at Moname Memories. I think a good contest is just what I needed to kick my creativity into gear and get me in the mood to scrap! The contest is called the Tour de France, and we are racing to the finish line - for the next 4 weeks I will be working on challenges for this, and so far I am having a GREAT time! Hope that the old bike is not too rusty to keep up, but either way, it should be a fun ride.

Here is what I created for the first leg of the race. The challenge was to use the theme "greatness" for the layout, and then to create a card using only the items that you used on your layout.

I have to tell you that this challenge was really a blessing for me - As I started thinking about the "greatness" theme, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I have really been struggling with my oldest son, Christian. At 13 he is really starting to test me, and we struggle daily to keep him on the right track, especially with school and homework. Being a mom is SUCH hard work, and I often feel like my role in life is to be a nag, which I just hate. So I created this layout about my struggle with my son, and it helped so much for me to express it and to put it into perspective.

Sorry the photos are not the best - it is dark here, and my efforts to lighten in PS did not do them justice, but that's the best I can do.

The journaling reads:
Christian, I know you think I'm too hard on you...that I am too strict, I push you too hard. You are RIGHT! I do push hard. I have known since you spoke your first words that you were an amazing gift - so incredibly bright! I see a future for you filled with such great potential. I know in my heart that you can do ANYTHING! I want you to learn to always do your best - to reach as far as you can. I want you to see that "good enough" is just NOT good enough for you. I will keep pushing you to live up to your potential, and I pray that one day you will realize that I do this because I LOVE YOU and because I know that you are DESTINED FOR GREATNESS.

Then here is the card I created using the same supplies:
The products that I used are: We R Memory Keepers patterned papers and chipboard shape, Stampin Up cardstock, ink, journaling pen and brads, Heidi Swapp chipboard alpha, Making Memories tiny alpha stickers, and misc. buttons.

Here is another simple card I never shared...

as well as a little journal that I made to keep track of my phone calls at work:

Well, I guess that covers the work I have done for the moment - I am in the middle of several things, so hopefully I will get some time soon and can pop in and share them!

On another note, I did want to mention that I will no longer be participating on the design team at Making Memories for You - I won't go into details except to say that everything happens for a reason, and I have discovered that the reasons this time are so much better for me. I have been reminded that I really do need to listen to my gut - I keep thinking that I know this, but apparently I need periodic reminders. I did learn a lot from this experience - which is why I continue to try new things! I created some things that I LOVE and am very proud of, I made a few new friends which is ALWAYS important to me. I learned that I really enjoy doing sketches, and I think this is something that I will continue - at least once in a while!

And at least for the moment, I will use my time to scrap just for me, and I will continue to challenge myself and enjoy my love for creating because it brings me joy!

I am off now to go dig in to some paper and see what I can get accomplished. Have a scrappy day!!

New Sketch, Layout and Card to share

I am ALMOST feeling human again, and the kids are on the mend. I have been trying like crazy to find my mojo... not sure where I left it but if you find it, PLEASE send it home! I think my creativity is just on hold since I have been feeling so lousy, so I hope that as I feel better, my mojo comes back. In the meantime, I am trying to keep scrapping - not always successfully, and very very slowly - I swear it drives me crazy when I work for hours on something and it is still just ...eh. But that is the way it goes I guess.

At any rate - I do have a couple things to share. I did another sketch this week.

Here is Sketch #4:

I decided to try a 2 page layout this time. Now, I know that not many people do 2 page layouts at this point...that's okay! My intention was to design this so that each individual page could be used on it's own, and yet those that want a 2 page option can use it as such.

Here is the sample I created for this sketch -- more photos of Lauren - yes, I am done scrapping these pics and will be moving on to something else now, I promise...but I still love em!
Sorry these pics are so bad... my day did not go exactly as planned and I lost the good light before I got around to taking pics.



I also finished a Fall card today...

I had SOOOOO many other things on my list today, but I only succeeded in making a mess of my desk...oh well. There's always tomorrow. Pray for my tummy to feel better so that I can get back to being a productive scrapper...oh, and remember - keep your eyes out for my mojo... I miss it!

Catching up again

Hello all! Hope this post finds you happily scrapping or otherwise enjoying your day! I have a new sketch and layout to share - sorry i didn't get to it sooner, this has been a pretty rough week! I had a head cold all last week, but fought my way through it only to have the joy of catching the stomach crud this week! And now that I am feeling a bit better, my children are all hit with the stomach crud today! I gotta tell ya, I am exhausted. BUT I am doing my best to keep it all together and keep myself sane with a moment here and there to scrap. Unfortunately feeling lousy doesn't bring out my best creatively, but I keep trying!

I did complete a sketch over the weekend, as well as a layout to share. Hoping that this weekend allows me some time to get more scrappyness in. One can hope :) And in the meantime I am staying away from any and all germs!

Here is SKETCH #3


And here is the layout that I created as a sample:
I had a terrible time trying to get a photo of this one, so sorry it is a little blurry. I used Bazzill cardstock, Scenic Route papers, Basic Grey letter stickers and chipboard alpha, Maya Road sheer journaling blocks and Queen & Co felt strip (stars). I unfrotunately can't remember the manufacturer of the chipboard stars.

Well, I am off to try to get something accomplished with my day... or maybe just a nap lol

Hugs to you all!

Altered Matchbox "Memory Game"

Good Morning everyone! Just a little project to share today...

This week for my design team I needed to create something to share as a challenge for the board, and I was asked to do a "Three Things" challenge - participants use 3 selected things on a layout, card or altered project - this is always so much fun - I hope you decide to play along! Of course I picked my three FAVORITE things for this challenge:

The color PINK
Butterflies (at least one visible butterfly on the project)
BLING!

If you decide to play along, please share your work here!!

This is the sample that I created as inspiration for this challenge. I received a 7 gypsies matchbox in my kit from the Keep In Touch shop. I altered it using Fancy Pants papers, Luxe label, Making Memories tiny alphabet, Prima crystals, and a vintage button. I made a "memory" game for my daughter Lauren using 12 different photographs of her on one side and then 6 pairs of butterfly photos to match on the other side. I hope that this idea inspires you - Lauren LOVES her special game made just for her, and I really think these would make great gifts!




I hope that you all have a wonderful day! I am off to try to sneak in a little more scrappin before the weekend is over! HUGS!
KP